and learn to fly
by celaenos
Summary: (final part of Take These Broken Wings) Quinn, Beth, Rachel, and co. Five years later.


**i am so, so sorry about the delay of this final chapter. i won't give you a bunch of long excuses, just apologize sincerely and thank you for your patience. i hope some of you are still with me, and i hope you've enjoyed reading this monster as much as i have enjoyed writing it. thank you for all the reviews, and comments and kudos. they are sincerely appreciated:)**

**(from now on, pretty much all of my fic will be posted solely on ao3 as i've been doing for the last few months. there is a link to my account in my profile, and everything is posted under the same username.)**

* * *

_Sixteen hours and thirty-three minutes._

The baby is screaming again.

Quinn groans and tries to burrow herself further down into the covers, but Rachel begins poking her in the stomach mercilessly.

"I know that you are awake, and I know that you can hear me." Rachel yells over Ephraim's wails. "Cassandra won't stop calling, and Greg's car is stuck in the snow. He can't get over to the house for another hour or two. _Quinn_?" Rachel rips the blanket off of Quinn's head and all the warmth that she had stored up escapes. Ephraim pauses his crying for a second, as if he can sense his mother's mood, and Rachel's voice drops dangerously low. "Cassandra thinks that she is in labor again, and if she calls me one more time _I will kill her._" Rachel hisses. She seems particularly unsympathetic for a woman who gave birth herself only two months ago.

Ephraim starts wailing again, and Quinn reluctantly drags herself into a sitting position on the bed. "I'll go over there," she assures Rachel. The look on her wife's face is a little terrifying, and Quinn knows that Beth and Sarah must be awake and acting like holy terrors. They have been at each others throats nearly all through the holidays. Their house had been incredibly crowded while Judy, Frannie, Jerry, Jerry Jr, Andrew, Leroy, Hiram _and_ Puck all stayed over for the holidays. It was a terrible idea that Quinn and Rachel have vowed never to do again.

Rachel unceremoniously shoves a wailing Ephraim into Quinn's arms and yanks her shirt off, yelling about lactation and something else Quinn doesn't catch as she disappears into the bathroom. Quinn directs her attention down to her son. "Mama is a little off her rocker huh?" she whispers. Ephraim kicks his feet out, which Quinn takes as agreement.

"I heard that!" Rachel snaps.

"And she is very beautiful." Quinn coos to the baby quickly. Wisely, he remains relatively silent.

Rachel comes out of the bathroom wearing a new t-shirt and a frown. "Go now so you have time to get back here to help me with the food tonight."

"Rach, it's not meant to be a big party." Quinn reminds her. "As long as there _is_ food, it'll be fine. Besides, I told Santana and Sam that they would only be let into the house if they brought tons of food. So we're covered."

"I can't wait till the holidays are over." Rachel holds her arms out for Ephraim and he finally quiets down fully, snuggling into her chest with a sigh.

"That's the spirit for the new year."

Rachel smacks her arm.

They hear a piercing shriek from downstairs that could only ever come from Sarah, and Quinn's work phone starts ringing, Cassandra's face flashing on the screen. Both of them sigh in tandem. "Opening a home for pregnant teenagers was the worst idea I've ever had." Quinn groans, flopping back down into the warm bed.

"No arguments from me." Rachel says, as if it wasn't half her idea in the first place. She throws Quinn's phone at her chest before going downstairs to stop their daughters from killing each other.

…

…

_Fifteen hours and fifty-one minutes. _

Cassandra is, in fact, _not_ currently in labor. She also wasn't in labor on the twenty-third of December. Or on the twenty-sixth, (her due date, and the reason Hanukkah and Christmas were celebrated in New York, rather than Lima). And she wasn't in labor on the twenty-eighth, or the twenty-ninth either.

But she still called Quinn specifically each time, not caring who was already on duty at the house, screaming for the baby to be taken out of her anyway. As if Quinn could somehow make this happen by sheer force of will. If she possessed the ability, she absolutely would have done it days ago.

"It fucking hurts!" Cassandra screams again. Quinn bites the inside of her cheek and presses down gently on the sides of Cassandra's bulging stomach. It doesn't help matters that the girl reminds Quinn far too much like a mix of herself and Santana at sixteen. Her family situation is nearly identical to Quinn's own, but her mouth is all Santana. Something that isn't as much fun when Quinn has to be the adult in the situation, rather than just snap back at her as she would like.

"I know." Quinn says softly instead. She reminds herself that she was almost as impossible as Cassandra back when she was going through the same thing. And that Cassandra is just a kid, and in a lot of pain, and very scared. Whether she will show it or not. "But it isn't contractions."

"How the fuck not? This stupid thing was supposed to be out of me ages ago!" Cassandra wails.

"It _was._" Sofia interjects from her place on the couch. Yara and Ainsley are both still upstairs sleeping. Quinn envies them. "The doctor said the twenty-sixth. Today's New Year's Eve."

"_Shut up!_" Cassandra yells, chucking a pillow at her head. Quinn manages to catch it in midair and glares down at Cassandra. She only looks mollified for about half a second. "I just want it _out_," she cries.

Quinn sits down beside her and wraps an arm around her shoulders. Cassandra starts weeping and immediately tucks herself into Quinn as much as she can manage with her ballooned out stomach. She looks impossibly young. But she is almost a full year and a half older than Quinn was when she had Beth. Which Quinn is having some trouble wrapping her head around.

"The doctor said if you don't start labor by tomorrow afternoon, then we'll go in and induce. You have got to stop stressing about it. That's not good for you or the baby." Quinn rubs her shoulders and motions for Sofia to toss her some tissues. She chucks the box at Quinn. "Very helpful," Quinn says to her sarcastically, "thank you." Sofia merely shrugs and returns to eating her cereal. Quinn directs her attention back to Cassandra. "And you have _got _to stop calling Rachel's phone. I don't know how you got her number, but she does not have the time or patience right now to deal with you. Also, it's not her job."

"But you weren't answering your phone and I needed you."

Quinn bits at her cheek hard enough to draw blood. "Then you call Greg, or Morgan. You know the rules."

Cassandra huffs, pulling herself away from Quinn and pouting. "Well, your wife _got you he__re_ didn't she?"

"And you are not in labor." Quinn says again. Ainsley shuffles downstairs, still half asleep, holding a teddy bear, her stomach barely showing at all. "Come on, have you eaten yet?" Quinn asks. Cassandra shakes her head along with Ainsley, and Sofia announces that she could eat again as she polishes off the last bit of her cereal. Quinn sighs and rises, heading into the kitchen with three pregnant and hungry teenage girls following behind. Greg can't get here soon enough.

…

…

_Twelve hours and seventeen minutes. _

When Quinn finally makes it back home it's starting to snow lightly. In her hurry to get to the house and calm Cassandra down, she had forgone a hat and gloves. She shuffles inside, rubbing her freezing hands together and shaking the snow out of her hair when Sarah comes barreling down the hall and slams into her legs. "Mommy!" she screams in delight.

"Hi babe." Quinn pulls off her coat and scarf while Sarah clings to her legs. The minute she finishes hanging up her things, Sarah begins climbing up her body.

"Beth's in trouble." Sarah singsongs with a devilish grin. "Mama said no more TV."

"She also said that _you_ can't watch any!" Beth yells, stepping into the hallway. Quinn still can't believe how tall she is now. A growth spurt over the summer that hasn't seemed to run its course just yet has left her coming up to nearly the same height as Quinn. Rachel _loathes_ being shorter than Beth. She forces Beth to sit down at every opportunity that she gets. Quinn even caught her standing up on her tip toes beside Beth once; she teased her about it for an entire week afterwards.

"How about we make some lunch?" Quinn asks, carrying Sarah and pushing Beth gently towards the kitchen. "Where is Rachel?"

"Putting the baby down for a nap." Sarah supplies for her helpfully. Beth flops her body down into a kitchen chair and props her knees up in front of her. Everything about her is coltish and gangly, awkward and constantly growing, taking up extra space that wasn't there a moment ago. She ignores Quinn and Sarah and drums her fingers along the kitchen table aimlessly. Quinn sighs. Thirteen is such a terrible age. Beth has only become more sullen since Maleeha moved to Virginia at the start of the school year. Quinn's confident and charming daughter has been replaced by a withdrawn grump, whose mood changes by the minute.

Quinn suspects that some of it has to do with Ephraim being born. Beth had been ten when Quinn had Sarah. Rachel wanted to be the one to have her, but an unexpected chance to star in the revival of _Thoroughly Modern Mille_ had been too good to pass up. Her first real leading role. Quinn wasn't going to let her say no, or have any regrets later. The Tony award now sitting atop their dresser, and Rachel coming home every night gushing to Quinn's growing belly about how amazing it is to star in a Broadway musical, is proof enough to Quinn that it had been the right decision.

Beth had gone from extreme excitement over the thought of having a baby sister, to intense jealously in less than a heartbeat. And it hadn't been much different while Rachel was pregnant with Ephraim. Just hidden slightly better.

Now that her best friend isn't around, Beth is lonely and constantly moody. Quinn hopes that most of it is just residual grumpiness over being cooped up in such a crowded house for the holidays. Frankly, she is still going through a bit of that herself.

"Want to make veggie pizza out of the nan?" Quinn asks Beth. "Your favorite?"

She barely tilts her head in Quinn's direction, shrugs, and mumbles what Quinn assumes is some form of, "Okay."

"Sarah, get me peppers, cheese and broccoli from the fridge please." Quinn asks. Sarah salutes dramatically before pirouetting her way over to the refrigerator to retrieve the ingredients. She may have come from Quinn's womb, but that girl is entirely Rachel. Quinn suspects that Rachel played Barbara Streisand to her stomach whenever Quinn fell asleep. She definitely did it to her own with Ephraim.

By the time they've got everything out and are concocting their own individual pizzas, Beth has a hint of a smile on her face. Quinn takes it as a victory.

Rachel makes her way down into the kitchen sleepily just as they start eating. "He's asleep," she announces with a tired sigh, and slumps down into the chair beside Quinn. Sarah immediately crawls out of her seat and settles herself onto Rachel's lap, holding up a somewhat slobbery piece of pizza in front of her mouth. "Mm, thank you," Rachel mumbles, bitting into it without a hint of a grimace. Quinn bites back a smile. Rachel really must be hungry. She passes her wife a plate of her own; one free of three year old slobber.

Beth slumps down further into her seat, picking at her food rather than eating it, and refuses to look over at Rachel.

Rachel manages to get a few bites in until her yawning is too much for Quinn. "Why don't you and Sarah get a nap in while Ephraim is sleeping?" she asks, pulling Sarah's plate away from her. Sarah pouts, but she has been leaning back into Rachel, barely able to keep her eyes open for the last five minutes. If either of them want to even make it to eight o'clock, they'll need a nap. They will never make it to midnight without one.

"Hum, okay." Rachel stands, her arms around Sarah's middle until Sarah twists herself around, clinging to Rachel like a monkey. She reminds Quinn so much of Beth at that age sometimes it knocks her senseless. Rachel bends over and kisses Quinn, murmuring "Night." Beth squirms a little, but Rachel drops a kiss to the top of her head as she passes by anyway. Quinn gives her daughter a pointed look after they've gone upstairs.

"What?" Beth shrugs, her eyes flaring, and moves to clear her plate.

Quinn follows Beth, gathering the rest of the plates as she goes. Her gaze with Beth's might be equal now, but newfound height aside, Beth still looks like a tall, gangly thirteen year old girl. A baby. _Quinn's baby._

She doesn't even have a second to suck in a breath before Beth's shoulders start to shake. Tears are falling down her face faster than Quinn can even contemplate and she's shocked by how quickly it came on. Immediately, she wraps her arms around Beth. "Sweetie, I—"

"I know I've been being a bitch," Beth cries. "I'm sorry."

"Beth," Quinn admonishes, "don't swear." She is going to kill Santana. Or at the very least, show Scott where to tickle her on the underside of her knees.

"I'm _sorry_!" Beth wails, curling her body into Quinn's.

Quinn tugs Beth back down into a chair, trying not to feel happy about the way her daughter still instinctively moves to tuck herself onto Quinn's lap. She may be tall for her age, but she still barely weighs a thing. Rachel even managed to give her a piggyback ride somewhat successfully last week when Beth tweaked her ankle after ballet class.

"Babe, what is going on with you?" Quinn asks after a moment.

"I'm a terrible person," she says through her sobs.

Quinn brushes some hair out of her face, it's a darker shade of blonde than her own, but not by much. "No, you're not," she says firmly.

"I am!"

"I can personally vouch for the opposite, but I'll bite, why do you think you're a terrible person?"

"I hate the baby," Beth admits in a pained, hushed whisper. "And I kind of hate Sarah a little bit too."

Now Quinn really has to bite her lip to keep herself from grinning. Beth looks utterly distraught at the notion of hating her siblings. It shouldn't be adorable, and yet... Quinn reaches over and pats Beth's thigh. "Babe, I know that you don't hate your sister. Yesterday morning I found her asleep in your bed, and you were hugging her. And I have found you guys like that a million times. I know that she annoys you, that's fine. She's _three_. She annoys _me_ sometimes too."

"But I do!" Beth insists. "It's, I know I'm being a bi—brat, but I hate them! Sarah takes my stuff all the time! And all Ephraim ever does is cry and poop! Plus, he looks like a squished alien."

Quinn squawks. "Beth! He does _not_. He's adorable."

"You _have_ to say that, you're his mother."

"He's beautiful. Also, he's only two months old, you were kind of funny looking at that age too. Five months was when you got real cute. Same with Sarah. I think it might be the magic baby age or something." Quinn laughs. "Remember what Scott looked like until he was a couple months old?" Santana had turned to her in a panic and urgently whispered that her kid was ugly, and how had that possibly happened when he came out of Brittany and one of the hottest donors she'd ever seen. Cut to a few weeks later and she's declaring him the most adorable child in existence; reveling in telling Quinn that her son was cuter than both her daughters at every chance she got. (Then cooing over Sarah and doting on Beth as always the minute Quinn turned her back.)

Beth's face pinches into a scowl. "I was _not_ funny looking," she says with a huff.

"Just a little," Quinn grins at her. "It was Puck's fault."

Beth knocks her body further into Quinn in a pout, the scowl on her face deepening. She's silent for a few moments, and Quinn is content to just rub her back and wait her out. Finally, she whispers into Quinn's neck, so softly that Quinn almost misses it. "I wish it was just you and me again." Quinn stills. She feels Beth suck in a breath and shake. "Don't you sometimes?" she asks, almost pleading. "Remember when we'd go to the park and do flips? Or when I slept in your room? Just the two of us? Now there is always so many other people around. I kinda wish it was just you and me."

"Baby," Quinn pulls her a little closer. "It was never just you and me," she says softly.

Beth sits up, frowning at her.

"No, look—" Quinn starts "—it _wasn't_. It took me a little while to figure it out, but it was never just me alone. I had Rachel, right from the beginning. In fact, she was the first person to say she was there for me when I found out that I was pregnant. And she _was_ always there. From the moment she said she would be. And I had Santana, and Sam, and... babe it was always a lot of people. Our house has always been super full."

Beth shrugs, refusing to look Quinn in the eye. "Yeah, but it felt like it was more you and me, and then everyone else," she whispers.

Quinn hugs her tight, ignoring her embarrassed squirming, because she knows how important this is to Beth. She can feel it in the way that the air is charged; in the way Beth has been distant and moody and so, so unhappy lately. Rachel had known. When they had Sarah, then when Scott was born, and while she was pregnant with Ephraim—Rachel had known somehow. She knew what it was like to have all of her parents undivided attention. She knew what it would feel like without it. But Quinn hadn't taken her seriously—too busy with the baby, and work, and the upcoming holidays. Quinn had only half listened.

_Dammit_.

She presses a light kiss to Beth's temple and presses their foreheads together. "Babe, it'll always be you and me and everyone else," she says seriously. Her voice softens. "But it will also always be Rachel and me and everyone else. And Sarah and me and everyone else. And when Ephraim gets a little older, same thing."

Beth humphs and tries to slip out of Quinn's arms, but she holds her firmly in place. "But it is always going to be different for you and me," she whispers. "Because you're right. For a while, it was just the two of us. I don't... we haven't talked about this a lot, because you were too young—and I think maybe you still are—just a little. But, I _do_ want to talk to you about it." Quinn waits for Beth to turn and look at her. "Babe, I know you think it was special, just you and me against the world—and in a way it was—but I was _terrified_. It wasn't fun. I was only two years older than you are now. I was a kid, and I was all alone with a baby. Having Santana and Rachel and Sam... and then everyone else, that was the best. I loved when it was all of us piled together in the house. I was always scared when it was just you and me."

"You were scared of _me_?" Beth asks, astonished.

"Yeah, terrified. I was afraid I would do something wrong. That I would mess you up somehow and not be able to take it back."

"That's stupid," Beth says, unbelieving. "You're the best mom. Way better than any of my friends. They're all jealous whenever I talk about you and Ma." She says it so casually—like she knows it in her bones, and nothing could ever shake her belief—that it takes everything Quinn has not to burst out into happy tears. As it is, tears fall. But they fall quietly. Prettily. The mother Judy was during Quinn's childhood would be so proud. Once a Fabray, always at least a little bit of a Fabray it seems. She will be damned if she passes on any of those traits to her children. But Beth just leans back into her, like she is trying to meld them back into one person, easy with her love and her pain. And Sarah is always the same. Quinn knows that it's all Rachel. She has managed to change the way Fabrays work. She is even on her way to winning Russell over, if she hasn't managed it quite yet.

Ephraim's cries startle them both, and Quinn sighs. "I've got to get him before he wakes Rachel up," she says, rising with Beth. She lifts Beth's chin, making sure that she is looking Quinn in the eye. "It'll always be you and me kid, no matter how many new family members we get."

Beth's eyes widen in fear. "No more please."

Quinn laughs and pulls her in for another hug. "No more babies anytime soon," she promises. "Two kids under the age of five at a time is plenty enough for me." She pulls back and looks at Beth again. "Okay?"

Beth nods. "I'm okay."

Quinn kisses her forehead and starts up the stairs as Ephraim's light whimpers turn into louder cries. "I stashed some extra chocolate chip cookies in a blue jar under the sink. They're all yours," she calls over her shoulder. She turns on the landing just in time to watch Beth's face light up and duck down to retrieve them. Quinn smiles and heads upstairs.

…

…

_Four hours and seventeen minutes. _

Beth crunches on a pretzel, crammed in between Cassandra and Yara on the couch and watches Sarah dance around in front of everyone. Quinn had had to hold Sarah down to yank a navy blue velvet dress onto her. She has got on pristine white tights, her hair is done up in braids, and she looks adorable. Especially while she twirls around the living room with Scott.

Beth bites into her pretzel harder.

"I hope my baby is cute like that." Yara says, looking over at Ephraim resting in Quinn's arms wistfully.

Beth slumps back further into the couch. "He shit right through the first outfit," she informs them with glee, trying to appear bored and cool. Both of their faces twist into a grimace. "Bet that will be fun too." Beth looks pointedly down at Yara's stomach with a smirk. Yara frowns, her gaze still on Quinn and Ephraim, and covers her stomach with one hand. A gesture that Beth has seen both of her mothers do while pregnant—Aunt Brittany too.

"Ugh, I don't care how much shit this baby makes, I just fucking want it _out_." Cassandra groans.

"Pizza is here!" Mike yells out as he walks into the house, boxes in hand. There are so many, that his fiancé, Natasha is carrying a few as well. Beth thinks that Natasha is one of the most beautiful women she has ever seen. She is an actual prima ballerina. Beth got to go see her dance the principal role in _Giselle_ back in June. Mike had gotten her tickets as a birthday present. Beth had held her breath for nearly the entire performance, enraptured. It was different from going to see Rachel's shows. She didn't know anybody up there. And Natasha danced better than anyone Beth had ever seen; better than Mike—better than _Brittany_ even. Beth had come home and begged Rachel for an hour for permisson to take more ballet classes instead of tap and jazz. It had taken a whole day of Rachel and Quinn discussing it before they finally agreed.

Ballet has been the only fun thing Beth has since Maleeha moved away. The other girls in her new classes aren't particularly nice to her though. They have all been training exclusively in ballet since they were like three. Beth picks up the moves quickly, and they all hate her for it. Anytime she stumbles, she can see smirks on all of their faces in the mirrors. Beth won't admit it to her mothers, but she misses the girls in her old classes—and having Brittany as her teacher.

She watches as Natasha moves gracefully into the house, catches Beth's eye, and smiles at her. Beth beams back. One day, she is going to be just like Natasha: up on that stage with everyone looking at her in awe. The girls in her class won't be smirking then.

Sarah runs over and tugs on the edge of Beth's dress. "Come play superhero," she begs.

"No." Beth says, pushing her off. "I'm eating."

Sarah pouts, putting her arms on her hips and trying to mimic Rachel. "You won't eat the pizza, it's too greasy. You never eat anything that tastes good since you do ballet."

Beth's face heats up in embarrassment as Cassandra frowns at her, and she shoves Sarah again. "Go play with Scott and leave me alone."

Sarah stamps her foot and struts away with a pout. Beth bites at the inside of her cheek and presses her fingers together. Counting out her ballet warmup in her head to keep calm.

"Well I want some pizza," Cassandra announces. "One good thing about being pregnant, I can eat whatever the hell I want and no one can say a goddamn thing." She wiggles her eyebrows at Beth and grins. Beth can't help but smile back. She takes a slice of pizza too—plain cheese—and dabs as much of the grease off as she can with a napkin. In the time it takes her to eat half of it, Cassandra and Yara have both wolfed down four pieces each. Beth ignores the enticing smell of the pepperoni and chews each bite far longer than necessary. All of the girls in her new classes are stick thin. Ballet bodies. She is going to make sure that she stays lean and tall too.

She sees Rachel look over at her with a frown, and takes a generous bite of the crust. But Rachel moves over towards her anyway, a smile on her face as she approaches the girls. But it's her show smile; Beth knows the difference. Rachel reaches out and rubs her back lightly and Beth has to remember not to squirm away, even though she wants to. She isn't a little kid anymore. But Rachel has never cared about embarrassing her. When Beth got her first period in the fall, Rachel made her sit through a power point and wouldn't stop hugging her. And when Quinn got home from work, she told her like it was some big announcement, like on the same level as when she was nominated for a Tony. Beth had screamed at her then locked herself in her room for the night.

"Hi girls," Rachel says, "are you having fun?"

Yara and Ainsley both smile and nod. "Thank you for invitin' us Mrs Fabray." Ainsley says in her loose southern drawl. Rachel beams at her and Beth rolls her eyes.

"It's_ Berry_ you dumbass," Sofia says from the other side of the couch. "Jesus."

Beth sighs and pushes her plate away. Rachel's hand keeps making light circles on her back, it feels good, but Beth wants to shrug her off anyway.

"It _is _Fabray actually." Rachel says gently to Sofia. "Berry is my stage name. But you can call me by either one. I don't mind."

"Someone help me up," Cassandra demands. "I gotta pee."

Beth watches her mother's face pinch into a frown before she plasters on a smile and hauls Cassandra up from the couch. "The bathroom is down the hall to the right," she says, pointing. Then she gets a hold of Beth's arm and pulls her from the couch too, pressing her tightly into her side. "Why don't you come help me get everyone some drinks?" she says. It's less of a question than it sounds, and Beth allows herself to be led into the kitchen.

Rachel moves around hurriedly, pulling out cups, sparkling cider and champagne. "You didn't eat much, are you still hungry?"

"No." Beth snaps. The way both her mother's faces keep pinching into frowns whenever she refuses food that is just going to make her _fat_ makes Beth want to scream. She is being _healthy_. They should be proud of her, not making her feel guilty all the time. She grabs some cups and starts to walk back into the living room, but Rachel reaches for her again.

"Hey..." Her voice cracks and something heavy settles in Beth's stomach. She _hates_ making Ma upset. "Are you—Quinn told me that the two of you talked earlier," she pauses, and Beth hears her suck in a shaky breath. "We can talk too, if you want. If there is something that you..." she trails off, and Beth can hear the tears threatening to fall in her voice.

Beth doesn't want to talk. She didn't want to talk to Mom this afternoon, and she doesn't want to talk to Ma now. What she wants if for both of them to stop treating her like a baby and leave her alone. They've got Sarah and Ephraim for that. But when she turns around, the look on Rachel's face makes the heavy thing in her stomach feel like she might explode. Rachel looks at her in the same way she did on the day she took Beth to the park and asked her if she could marry Quinn. Beth had only been six, but she remembers all of it. She had missed Rachel _so much_ that summer. She had cried herself to sleep more than once, thinking that Rachel wasn't coming back. Talking on Skype and the phone hadn't been enough. Beth wanted a hug—a Rachel hug. She had felt so special that day with just herself and Rachel. They had dressed up, and gotten ice tea, and Rachel had talked to her like a grown up. She always used to do that, back before she and Mom got married.

"I don't need to talk," Beth says softly. She watches Rachel swallow and nod, clearly disappointed, but trying not to show it. "I'm okay," she adds, trying to reassure her.

Rachel gathers the champagne and cider in her arms and walks over towards Beth, frowning unconsciously as she looks up to her face. Beth has to bite back a smile; Ma hating being shorter than her never fails to make Beth laugh.

"Alright," Rachel smiles, and they walk back into the living room together.

…

…

_Twenty-six minutes._

Beth is sitting on the love-seat, her phone in her hands, twiddling with it aimlessly when Santana walks over and kicks at her legs lightly. "Scoot over Lizard," she orders, and plops down beside her. Beth leans into her instinctively as Santana loops one arm around her shoulders and stretches out. "So, how is being a little bitch in a tutu goin' for ya?" she asks.

Beth glares up at her, but folds under Santana's gaze after only a minute or so of silence. "We don't usually wear tutus," she says haughtily. "Tights and a leotard."

"If Britt was still your teacher, she would let you wear a tutu." Santana says, raising her eyebrows at Beth. It's a challenge. Beth knows how Aunt Tana works. She's all bark and no bite. At least, she's never bitten Beth. But Beth did see her bite Quinn's shoulder once. Quinn had squealed and smacked Santana so hard that Rachel had yelled at her for twenty full minutes while she iced Santana's arm. Santana had stuck her tongue out at Quinn from behind Rachel, then told Rachel to stop making such a fuss once she had turned back around.

"I like my classes now." Beth insists. Santana doesn't look wholly convinced, but she drops it.

"It's nice that you're old enough for me to talk to like a real human now." She says absently a moment later.

Beth frowns. "You've always talked to me the same way."

"Yeah... when Q and Rachel aren't around."

"Did I hear my name?" Rachel asks, resting on the arm of the chair beside Beth.

"Nope, different Rachel." Santana says without dropping a beat. Rachel scrunches up her face and lightly smacks the top of Santana's head. The indignant squawk she lets out causes Beth and Rachel to let out identical laughs.

"One minute left!" Sam yells, passing out kazoos to everyone. He gives Beth a blue one and ruffles her hair before tossing one over to Mike. Beth huffs and tries to smooth it back down with her fingers. Everyone begins counting down together as the ball starts to drop.

_Ten. _Santana sits up, releasing Beth and pulling Scott onto her lap.

_Nine. _Sarah jumps up and down in front of Quinn, trying to coax Ephraim into looking at the television instead of falling asleep in Quinn's arms.

_Eight. _Kurt wraps an arm around Sam's waist.

_Seven. _Cassandra shifts uncomfortably on the couch, elbowing Yara.

_Six._Brittany does a pirouette in excitement.

_Five. _Mike readjusts the paper crown on Natasha's head.

_Four._ Beth's phone dings in her lap, a _'happy new year kid!'_ text message from Puck.

_Three._Rachel pulls Beth into her side.

_Two._She squeezes Beth, vibrating with excitement.

_One. _Rachel yells out a happy squeal and kisses Beth, kazoo forgotten on the floor.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone shouts together, kazoos going off and champagne popping.

Beth sinks into Rachel's arms, secretly thrilled to be the first person that she kissed for the new year. Before she can let herself be embarrassed about it, she sits up and wraps her arms around Rachel's neck, kissing her cheek, and whispering, "I love you Ma."

She feels Rachel sigh happily against her, and tighten her grip. "I love you too."

Beth can hear Quinn and Sarah coming over to them, and she slips out of Rachel's arms. Her mothers kiss. Disgustingly. Beth stops herself from groaning out loud, but can't help the slight eye roll. Sarah jumps up and down by Beth's knees, asking for a new years kiss. Beth sighs and bends forward, letting her little sister smack their lips together for a second then she grins, and blows her kazoo in Sarah's face.

"Everyone! Take some grapes and make twelve wishes!" Rachel announces after disentangling herself from Quinn. She picks up a huge bowl of green grapes and walks around the living room, passing them out. Beth takes some and moves to sit down on the couch beside Cassandra and Yara. She is on wish number nine when Cassandra lets out a howl and grabs Beth's arm, squeezing it so hard that Beth whimpers.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuck." Cassandra says through another howl.

Sarah lifts her head up from Scott's shoulder. "Bad word," she announces.

Beth tries to pull her arm back, but Cassandra holds onto her for dear life, howling some more.

"Oh shit," Santana mutters.

"Bad word." Sarah repeats from her lap. She and Scott both poke at her arms simultaneously.

That's when Cassandra pees all over the couch.

Yara and Ainsley yell, scrambling away from Cassandra as quickly as their bulging bellies will allow. Sofia laughs from the other end of the room, and Beth gasps, trying again to yank herself away from Cassandra.

"Okay, nobody panic." Quinn calmly passes Ephraim over to Rachel and walks over to Cassandra. "Sweetie, you are finally going to have this baby."

"No!" Cassandra wails. "I don't want it _now_."

Quinn laughs and starts rubbing small circles on Cassandra's shoulder, inching her upwards. "This is nothing, I had Beth in the middle of a show choir competition."

Cassandra howls again. Right in Beth's ear.

Quinn stands up and Beth sort of marvels at how calm she is being. "Okay everyone, happy new year! Party is over. Greg, you and I are taking Cassandra to the hospital. Sam, Kurt, could you please take the girls back to the home and wait for Morgan to show up for her shift? I told her to be there by one tonight."

"No problem," Sam says, already ushering Ainsley towards the front door.

Quinn turns back to Cassandra, "Alright Cass, let's get you out of here," she says with a reassuring smile. "Just let go of Beth's arm and—" Cassandra shakes her head violently and somehow grips Beth even tighter. "Cassandra," Quinn says warningly. "You've got to let go."

"No." Cassandra says firmly.

"I'll come in the car." Beth offers. "I don't care."

Quinn doesn't look particularly thrilled at the prospect, but Cassandra howls again and everyone jumps into action anyway.

…

…

Beth's wrist feels like it is going to fall off.

Cassandra spends the entire ride to the hospital swearing. Intermittently, she cries, yells and squeezes Beth and Quinn's arms. When they finally make it into the hospital, Cassandra is quickly shuffled into a wheelchair and still refuses to let go of Beth. For a second, Quinn looks like she is contemplating murdering Cassandra in order to free Beth's arm, but Beth swallows and tells her that she's fine.

She is very much _not fine_; her wrist hurts, and there are far too many people surrounding her. The side of her pants are wet from when Cassandra's water broke, and she is scared and very close to crying. But she steals her face to match the calm veneer that she has seen on her mother, Aunt Frannie, and Gram countless times before. Quinn obviously recognizes this from the way her face twists uncomfortably, but before she can do anything about it, Cassandra lets out another howl and nurses surround them.

Before she knows it, Beth has been dressed in a gown and cap, and shuffled into a delivery room with her mother as Greg paces uselessly out in the hallway.

"Alright Cassandra, my name is Dr Khan." A woman with a gentle smile says while nurses help her into gloves and a gown. The minute she enters the room, Beth feels so much better. She has an instantly calming and reassuring effect on everyone in the room. Even Cassandra quiets for a moment. Beth can't help feel a pang for her best friend at the mention of the woman's name. While she and Maleeha had started to lose some of their interest in superheroes over the last two years, they still read every new issue of Ms Marvel together. Always.

"Get it the fuck out of me!" Cassandra screams.

"Cassandra," Quinn chastises quickly. She starts rubbing circles along Cassandra's shoulder with her thumb, and she brushes sweaty hair out of her face. Beth listens as her mother's voice turns soft, every bit as authoritative and reassuring as the doctor's. "It's time to let go of Beth's hand and do this. I've got you."

"No." Cassandra whines. "I don't want to have a baby. I want my mom."

Beth suddenly remembers that Cassandra is only three years older than her. She always manages to seem so much more adult-like. With her brassy, lewd jokes and big broad shoulders, and the way she waddles around everywhere, soaking up all of the attention in the room. Beth forgot somehow that she is just a little kid. Forgot that she is a whole year older than her mother was when she had Beth. Her mother, now standing above this girl, calm as anything, making her feel better.

Beth's head feels too full. All swimmy, and too heavy to hold itself up on its own; like she has been crying for hours, or has a cold she can't seem to shake.

Beth was at home with Santana and Brittany when Quinn had Sarah. Rachel had called her right after, sounding as happy as Beth had ever heard her. By the time she was brought to the hospital, Quinn had had a shower and Sarah had been cleaned and fed. Her mom looked tired, but happy. Perfectly fine. Not scared or in pain the way Cassandra looks now. It had been the same with Ephraim two months ago. Sure, Rachel had screamed her head off (hitting a high C in the process) and getting her into the car had been a little nerve wracking as she became more panicky. But then she and Sarah had just watched movies and had dinner with Sam and Kurt. They didn't see Rachel again until the next morning. When they woke up, Sam told them they had a baby brother. Beth didn't see Brittany give birth to Scott, or Aunt Frannie give birth to either Jerry Jr or Andrew. This is the first time she has even been in the hospital when it happens, and Cassandra _won't let go of her hand_.

Everything becomes even more frightening once things really get going. Beth makes the terrible mistake of looking down between Cassandra's legs to see what the doctor is doing and nearly faints. She immediately directs her attention back to her mother, watching as Quinn coaches Cassandra through everything with expertise.

Finally, Cassandra lets out a final, agonizing scream and releases Beth's wrist. The baby squirming in Dr Khan's arms immediately picks up the screaming. Beth thinks there is no doubt that it is Cassandra's kid.

"You have a daughter." Dr Khan tells her with a bright smile. They whisk the baby over to the other side of the room to clean it up and Beth cranes her neck to get a better look. It's just this tiny, wriggly, pink thing. Covered in gunk and screaming it's head off. Beth can't believe it. That thing was _inside of Cassandra_ two seconds ago. She looks over at Quinn's stomach. She can't picture herself ever being inside of there.

"You did amazingly Cass." Quinn says, brushing some hair out of her face and placing a light kiss to her temple. She looks over at Beth and smiles, so brightly and full of love that Beth wants to cry. They bring the baby back over and hand her to Cassandra, who just stares down at her in awe, as quiet as Beth has ever seen her. Quinn moves around to stand beside Beth, wrapping an arm around her waist and gazing down at the baby in Cassandra's arms. "Any names in mind?" she asks.

"I don't..." Cassandra shakes her head in disbelief. "Holy shit."

"I'm not sure that would work." Quinn jokes. "Also, don't swear. You've already traumatized my daughter enough by hauling her in her."

Cassandra looks over at Beth. "Oh, shit. Sorry kid. I didn't mean to..." she waves towards Beth's hand.

"It's okay," says Beth. "I can almost feel it again." She flexes her fingers to prove it and Cassandra laughs. "Name her Beth and I'll forgive you," she jokes.

Cassandra looks down at the baby in her arms. "Elizabeth..."

"I was just joking." Beth tells her quickly. "You don't have to. Plus that's not actually my name."

Cassandra grins. "I like it though." She turns and looks back up at them, tears in her eyes. "Elizabeth Quinn Wittmore." Beth feels more than hears her mother gasp, her grip on Beth's waist tightening momentarily. "Thank you." Cassandra says to her, more sincere than Beth has ever seen her. "Thank you so much for everything."

Beth watches her mother bend down and place another kiss to Cassandra's temple. "You did all the hard work. I just held you hand."

"No." Cassandra insists. "For everything. I am such a bitch and I don't know how you put up with me for months. Oh, shit, sorry. See! I keep swearing around your kid. I'm sorry."

Quinn waves her off. "Get some rest Cassandra. Greg will be here for a little while longer. We'll come and see you in the morning and get everything else settled."

"Okay." Cassandra turns back down to baby Elizabeth, barely even paying attention as Quinn ushers Beth out of the room.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asks Beth. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't want..."

"Is it always like that?" Beth asks, cutting her mother off as they yank off their gowns and put them in bins in the hallway.

"Like how?"

"Like... scary? And just... loud and then it's all gunky and..." Beth shrugs. "I don't know, intense? I mean, it looked like it was gonna rip her whole body open." Beth grimaces. "She sounded like she was getting murdered. Did you sound like that? I'll be Ma was even louder."

Quinn chuckles at that and wraps an arm around Beth's shoulders as they walk down the hallway. "I'll deny it if you tell her, but of all the times I've witnessed someone giving birth, your mother was definitely the most dramatic."

Beth laughs, it's easy to picture. When Ma gets a _cold_ it's an event. When she and Beth caught the chicken pox four years ago, the two of them spent six days straight in bed together. And Rachel had actually gotten Santana to buy a bell for her to ring so she didn't damage her voice by calling for Quinn. It had mysteriously disappeared on the second day. (Beth had helped Quinn hide it and agreed she would be the one to call if they needed anything.)

"What about you?" Beth whispers softly. They have never really talked about Beth's birth much. Ever since Quinn started to really get the house for the girls going, Beth has begun wondering about it more. She isn't always around whichever girls are living there at any given moment, but she has witnessed one or two parents saying horrible things to them. Ainsley's mother in particular had caused her to burst into tears when she was dropped off and she had nightmares until right before Christmas. Beth had thought that her mom was going to slap the woman. She might have if Rachel hadn't slipped her hand into Quinn's and dismissed the woman with barely a word.

Beth knows that her grandfather disapproved of her mother when she was a teenager. Beth has only met him a handful of times, Sarah even less, and he came to see Ephraim once, a few days after he was born. He generally spends the holidays with his new wife's family. He has visited after Christmas for the last two years. And both times Beth was constantly aware of how on edge her mother was throughout the entire visit. Rachel spent the entire time ready to pounce. Like the time after she won her Tony award and paparazzi tried to take photographs of her with Beth and Sarah.

Quinn sighs and starts fiddling with the machine in front of her, getting them both hot chocolates. For a minute, Beth thinks that she isn't going to answer her, but then she settles down on a bench and pulls Beth down beside her. Passing over a styrofoam cup of steaming hot chocolate after she has already started blowing on it, she looks over at the wall opposite them.

"It was the most scared I've ever been in my whole life," she says without looking at Beth. "My stomach had been bothering me a little all that morning while we got ready. I thought it was just nerves. I always used to get butterflies before Cheerios competitions, I figured it was just the same. That I would be fine once we got onstage." She smiles, picking at the top of her cup. "I was. I mean, performing was so much fun. It was the first time I really let myself enjoy it. Then when we went backstage, my mom was there. She had come and watched."

Quinn sounds bewildered by this and Beth can't help but wonder why _wouldn't_ Gram come see her daughter perform?

"Mom," Beth fidgets with her hot chocolate. "You didn't live at home while you were pregnant with me did you? You lived somewhere like the girl's house? With other pregnant teenagers?"

"No." Quinn keeps her gaze on the bare white wall across from them. "I didn't live at home. I stayed at my boyfriend's house for a little while, then with your father, and then at my friend Mercedes' house until you were born. Then I went back home with my mom."

"Your boyfriend wasn't Dad?"

Quinn's smile twists painfully for a moment. "That is a conversation for a latter date."

Beth kind of wants to just know everything _now, _but the look on her mother's face hushes her into silence for a few minutes. Then, she sucks in a shaky breath, asking what she has been afraid of for a while. "Did... did they make you move out because of me?" Beth asks, feeling a sob at the back of her throat.

Quinn turns towards Beth now, her hot chocolate cooling and abandoned on the floor. She wraps her arms around Beth fiercely. "My parents kicked me out because I had disappointed them. We lived in a small, conservative town and people were very closed-minded. They were angry with _me_. It was absolutely not your fault so don't even think it."

"But—"

"No." Quinn says firmly. Beth nods, hugging her mother as tightly as she can. She can't even imagine in two years being kicked out, having to stay at a classmates house. Being all alone. She hugs Quinn tighter and they sit like that silently for a few minutes until Quinn yawns and Beth laughs at her. "Ugh, I've been up since seven, don't give me that look." Beth yawns too and Quinn yanks them both up off the bench. "Oh my god, it's almost four a.m. Rachel is going to kill me."

"Aunt Tana and Britt stayed over," Beth says. "Scott fell asleep. They texted me in the car. I was supposed to tell you but... there were babies."

Quinn rolls her eyes and takes Beth's hand, leading her out of the hospital and sticking her arm out for a cab. Beth is grateful, she is too tired to go get on the subway.

"Mom?" Quinn turns as a cab pulls up to the curb. "I'm really proud of you." Beth says. Quinn lets out a small gasp and stills, staring at Beth with something like wonder. Beth feels the same. "I think what you do is amazing and I'm really glad I got to see it." The cabbie looks impatient, so Beth steps forward even though her mother looks like she might flinch if anyone touches her. "I love you a lot, and I'm sorry when I'm a brat, and I don't really hate Sarah and Ephraim, and I love Ma, and I'm really glad you're my mom," she spits out quickly. Quinn is definitely crying now. Beth slips her arms around her mother's middle and half pushes her into the back of the cab, rattling off their address while Quinn clings onto Beth.

"I love you too," Quinn whispers into Beth's ear. "So, so much." And Beth smiles.

…

…

Quinn shuffles her half asleep daughter into the house as quietly as possible. Beth looks even more exhausted than Quinn feels, and she doesn't think she has felt this tired in a _long_ time. All she wants to do is crawl into bed and sleep for the next two days straight.

They pad down the hallway and Quinn ducks her head into Sarah's room quickly. She and Scott are curled up together in her bed, looking utterly adorable. Santana and Brittany must be in the guest bedroom.

"Mom," Beth whispers, yanking Quinn's arm. "Can I—can I sleep with you guys tonight?"

Quinn smiles. Beth hasn't asked to sleep with them for years. "Sure."

They slip into the master bedroom to find Rachel nearly asleep, Ephraim resting on her chest nursing. She doesn't acknowledge either of them until Quinn bends down and gently lifts Ephraim into her arms. "Quinn?" she mumbles.

"I'll put him down," she whispers back. "Beth is sleeping with us."

"M'kay." Rachel rolls over, splaying an arm out, her eyes still closed. Quinn watches on fondly as Beth climbs onto the bed and tucks herself into Rachel's side. Her wife smiles, pulling Beth closer and never once opening her eyes. "It is _way_ past your bedtime." Quinn hears Rachel mumble as she slips out of the room and into the nursery.

She rocks Ephraim for a moment, just bouncing on the balls of her feet until he burps. Quinn kisses his tiny little head before settling him down in the crib. She remains there for a minute, just marveling at this tiny human being that came out of Rachel. "Kiddo, I will owe you one so big if you sleep in late this morning," she whispers before slipping back into her bedroom.

Rachel and Beth both look out for the count, but when Quinn slips in behind Rachel, her wife shifts. "It is nearly five in the morning," she admonishes.

"Yes well, babies were being born." Quinn says. "A little girl. She named her Elizabeth Quinn."

Rachel smiles at that, but still refuses to open her eyes. "Well, that was very uncharacteristically sweet of her. Does she know that Beth's name is not Elizabeth?"

"Yes."

Rachel hums.

"You know, Cassandra reminds me of a terrible combination of myself and Santana."

"Really?" Rachel shifts again, getting an arm around Quinn despite how much Beth has positioned her lanky self on top of her. "Well, then I'm not worried about her at all. She is going to be a wonderful mother."

Quinn smiles and kisses Rachel deeply. Beth groans. "_No_, I'm _right here_."

Rachel and Quinn both laugh. "Kiss her," Quinn says. "I'm too tired to reach over there."

Beth whines and protests, wriggling in the bed. Rachel—eyes _still_ closed—kisses Beth all over her face before relenting and hugging her close. "Twelve kisses, good luck for the new year." Rachel says as Beth settles down.

"No, that's thirteen. You kissed me at midnight. Before Mom," she adds haughtily.

Quinn mock gasps, pinching Rachel's shoulder. "How dare you."

"She loves me more, happy new year!" Beth teases.

"Rachel, who do you love more?" Quinn asks.

"Santana. Everyone go to sleep."

Quinn laughs so loudly that everyone in the house wakes up.


End file.
